Buddhism Beyond the Monastery collects seven articles, each of which looks
at the practice of non-monastic Buddhism in Tibet. In their introduction,
Jacoby and Terrone define non-monastic Buddhism as “popular beliefs,
customs, communal gatherings, festivals and ceremonies, and religious
rituals typically performed by non-celibate religious professionals” (1).
This volume, therefore, includes within its purview practices as
disparate as rituals for community prosperity, spirit mediumship,
treasure revelation, and tantric sexual practices. While these practices
touch on many different aspects of Tibetan religiosity, they are united in
being performed by individuals who have not been ordained as Buddhist
monks. Despite the importance of such practices and practitioners to
Tibetan life, these aspects of non-celibate Tibetan Buddhism have
remained little studied, especially when compared with the voluminous
literature dedicated to understanding celibate monastic philosophies
and practices. Buddhism Beyond the Monastery not only calls attention to
this lacuna, but for a slim volume of 202 pages, does an impressive job of
filling it.